James Cameron has taken some heat in the past for his responses to critics, but his need to deal directly with movie nitpickers, plot-hole police, and general naysayers has been part of his DNA since the beginning it seems.

Take for instance the epic letter he wrote to Starlog Magazine (Issue #184) in 1992 in which he addresses – point by point – viewer’s criticisms of his sequel to Ridley Scott‘s Alien.

It’s hard to believe that Aliens, considered one of the best sequels by many, had its fair share of detractors, but for some fans of Scott’s masterpiece, Cameron’s film was their Prometheus. Fandom, it seems, has always been a playground for diverse opinions.

Yesterday, the YouTube account “Alien Theory” published a comprehensive breakdown of Cameron’s responses to each of the specific criticisms outlined in his letter. It’s definitely worth a watch.

The scanned Starlog pages are compiled below as well. The first two pages are responses from viewers, the third is Cameron’s thoughtful response.

If there’s one takeaway from all this it’s that, regardless of what you think of Cameron’s personal personae or opinions, he’s a director who’s thought about every angle of his films. And he’s not going to take your nitpicks lying down.

With two Cameron produced films on the horizon, Alita: Battle Angel and Terminator, and several Avatar sequels, I think we’re going to be seeing a lot more of Cameron and his opinions in the years to come. I say, bring it on.